Until Dawn
by R.L. Nossett
Summary: 8 friends become trapped on a remote mountain getaway gone wrong. Filled with fear, things quickly go wrong and they start to suspect they aren't alone. With tensions running high, they'll be forced to make snap decisions that could mean life or death for everyone involved. No werewolf's AU, Severely OOC. Based off 2015 PS4 video game, Until Dawn.
1. Prologue

In Beacon Hills, deep in the forests, a fairly large log cabin was shown. There were a few lights on, but it was mostly dark out, much like the dark snowy forest that surrounded the cabin.

A young girl, with short blonde hair tucked into a beanie, wearing a grey sweater and black yoga pants with grey boots, stood in the kitchen looking out the window. Ignoring the other people in the room, she squinted her eyes...Was someone out there?

Said other people, 4 of them, were on the other side of the middle island. Another girl, with short blonde hair tied in two pig-tails, wearing a green long-sleeve shirt and a ruffled skirt, placed a piece of paper on the counter-top. The guy that was with them, shook his head and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He was wearing a red flannel with blue jeans.

"Oh my god, I can't believe you actually did this." Another girl said, smirking with excitement. She had shoulder-length black hair and was wearing a white t-shirt with a blue jacket over it, and black sweatpants. "Shh..shh..shh" The girl wearing green said, referring to the two other people in the room, passed out drunk from their fun from before.

"Don't you think this is a little bit cruel?" The last girl said, her strawberry blonde hair tied back into a bun, wearing a red sweater with white design around the collar and blue jeans. The girl in green stared at her, "Oh come on, she deserves it." She said, brushing it off.

The girl in red got defensive, "It's not her fault that she has a huge crush on Theo-" The girl said, gesturing to the guy who was standing close by, but not saying anything. "Lilly's been making the moves on him. I'm just looking out for my girl, Ki." The girl in green said, shooting a smile towards Kira, the girl with the blue jacket.

Kira smiled back at her as the 3 of them followed the girl in green out of the kitchen, "Just because he's class Pres doesn't mean he belongs to everyone," she said, pausing for a second, "Theo is my man." She finished. Theo sighed, "Hey, Ki.." He said, "I'm not anybody's man." He said and Kira scoffed.

They joined the other two people in the room, another boy with a shaved head, wearing a grey jacket with black jeans, and another girl, blonde hair tucked into a stripped beanie, wearing a long-sleeved dark green shirt with a purple vest over it and black jeans. "Whatever you say, darling." Kira responded, laughing..

Leaving the group, the girl in red, Lydia, went up the stairs instead of following them, 'I've got to find Lilly..before she gets to the room...' She thought to herself. "Lilly!" She called out, "Lilly!"

Meanwhile, downstairs, everyone else was getting into a hiding space in a bedroom. Malia, the girl with the stripped beanie, hid behind the closet door, while Boyd, the boy with the short brown hair got inside the closet. Kira and Erica, the girl in green, both slid under the bed, giggling as they did so. Theo was left standing in the center of the room. Kira giggled, "Ooh, she's here! Shh.." She whispered out.

"Theo?" Lilly whispered, holding a candle out to light the hallway. Her black hair fanned out around her face, her glasses resting on her nose. She was wearing a black blouse with blue jeans. She opened the door to the room.

"Theo? It's Lilly.."

"Hey Lilly."

* * *

Back in the kitchen, the girl, Lucy, stood by the window. Something walked by and she squinted her eyes, "Hey..Did you see that?" She asked aloud, "Mom said it'd just be us this weekend.." She said, turning around when no one answered her, "Scott?" She called, looking at her brother.

She walked away from the window and went around the island, picking up a bottle that was beside her passed out brother. Jeremiah Cragg. She hummed, then patted Josh's shoulder, "Jeez, Scott." She said, smirking, "Once again brother you've outdone us all." She said, shaking him. He groaned once, then snored quite loudly.

Lucy was about to walk out of the kitchen, to find her friends, but a piece of paper caught her eye. It was upside down, but it was clear there was writing on the other side. She slid it over to her, picked it up, then flipped it over.

 _Lilly,_

 _You look so damn hot in that shirt...but I bet you're even hotter out of it. Come to the guest room at 2:00 am. ;)_

 _Theo_

 _xxx_

"Oh my god.." Lucy said, looking in disgust at the note and glancing over to Scott who let out another loud snore, "What did our na ve sister get into now?" She asked, shaking her head.

* * *

"I got your note." Lilly said, her voice soft and gentle. Theo nodded, "Glad you could make it." He said. Lilly smiled at him, moving her hands towards the buttons of her blouse. Theo stepped forward, "Maybe we should start with a little...you know, making out, and see where it goes from there." He said, a suggestive tone in his voice.

Ignoring him, Lilly went to undo the first two buttons, Theo whispering to himself, "Oh hell yeeaah.." He said. With the first couple buttons undone, she slipped the shirt of her shoulder, revealing a butterfly tattoo on her arm. Erica, under the bed, whispered a little too loud, "Oh my god, she's taking her shirt off!"

"What?" Lilly said, voice cracking, "Oh my god!" She exclaimed when everyone emerged from their spots. "Boyd?" She asked when he came out of the closet, a camera in his hands. "What are you doing here?" She asked, just as the door opened and Lydia came in. Theo stuttered out an apology, "Uh, I'm sorry, Lilly, this all got outta hand, but..."

"Lilly," Lydia said, getting closer to her, "Lilly, hey, honey...Don't...it's just a..-" Lydia tried, but Lilly interrupted her, "Theo...!" Then she ran out. Lydia finished her sentence, "stupid prank.." Theo sighed, "Uh..damn."

Lydia scoffed and turned to look at the 4 other people who were crowded around the bed, "You guys are jerks. You know that?" Lydia said, turning to run after Lilly, calling out her name, "Lilly!"

* * *

In the kitchen, Lucy saw something run past the window, "What the..?" She stepped back from the island counter, that looked like Lilly...Wait a minute.."Scott!" She yelled, running over to her brother and shaking him, "Scott, wake up!" She tried again, "Dammit!" She said when he didn't wake up. She left the kitchen, "Guys, there's someone outside-" She said, slowing down when she saw Stiles' disappear around the stairs, headed towards the front door, "What?" She whispered to herself.

She grabbed her pink jacket and picked it up, hearing Lydia call out for Lilly. Lucy paused, so that was Lilly. She pushed through all of them, turning to face them, "What's going on? Where's my sister going?" She asked them. Erica scoffed and waved her hand, "It's fine, she just can't take a joke." She said, then Kira called out, "It was just a prank, Lill!"

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows, "What did you do?" To which Theo answered, "We were just messing around Lucy, it wasn't serious-" Lucy shook her head, tired of hearing it, "You JERKS!" She yelled, then promptly ran off into the woods, calling for her sister, "Lilly! LILLY!"

"So...Should we go after her?"

"You know, I kind of think you're the _LAST_ person she wants to see right now, Theo." Lydia said in disgust, turning her head and watching Lucy disappear into the snow storm.

* * *

Lucy ran through the forest, following the trail. She brushed a few branches from her face and continued to run. Coming at a crossroads, Lucy inhaled and exhaled quickly, trying to catch her breath in this freezing weather. There was a noise to her right, but footsteps towards her left..

She paused, deciding which way to go before nodding to herself and following the footsteps. She ran deeper into the forest, slowing to a stop once more in front of a small pack of elk. There were only three, but as soon as they saw her, they all jumped away, back into the forest. She continued to run further.

"Dammit, Lilly. Where are you?" She asked aloud, hoping somehow and someway that Lilly could hear her. She jumped down a few rocks, landing on her feet with a soft thud. She pulled out her phone, exhaling another deep breath. She turned her flashlight on, illuminating her way.

She continued the trail, using her phone to light her way as she traveled through the snowy forest. "Hello?" She said aloud, "Helloo?" She asked again. Something lit up in the distance, a distinct orange glow, "Huh?" She asked, looking up towards it. She kept walking, "Lilly!" She called for her sister.

Walking further, the same glow illuminated just above her, atop the cliff. She jumped slightly, "What the hell was that?" She asked herself. Coming to a clearing, she pushed a branch out of her way and finally found her sister, "Lilly!" She called, jogging over to her. Lilly was sitting in the snow, arms wrapped around herself, "Lilly!"

"Lucy?"

"Lilly, oh my god, you must be freezing!"

Lucy took off her jacket and helped Lilly put it on, "Here, take my coat." Lilly allowed Lucy to help her with the jacket, "I'm such an idiot! I'm so dumb..."Lilly announced, standing up. Lucy hugged her, then opened her mouth to say she was wrong, to convince her otherwise, but something alerted the both of them.

"Lilly?"

"Lucy?"

They said at the same time, addressing each other. They both glanced at each other, silently agreeing on doing the same thing.

 _Run._

So they did. Both of them took off. They passed a wooden bridge, Lilly tripping on it and falling forward with a thud and a small yelp. "Lilly!" Lucy yelled, running back to her and helping her up. Once back on her feet, the two took off again, not seeing Lucy's phone drop from her jacket pocket and fall through the cracks in the wood.

"Oh god!" Lilly said, both of them coming to an abrupt stop. They were standing on the edge of a cliff. With a very sudden, and very steep drop. They huddled close together, taking each other's hand and backing up slowly, away from the creature that was chasing them, and that was currently growling. The noise echoing through the forest. "No." Lucy said to herself, "No! Damn, no!" She said, looking behind them.

They were closer to the edge now.."Get back!" Lucy tried, but whatever it was, it didn't stop. The two girls backed up a few more paces, getting closer and closer to the ledge.

"No! ARGH!"

Lucy screamed as Lilly slipped on the snow, sliding down the cliff and taking Lucy with her. Thankfully, Lucy had grabbed onto a tree root that was sticking out, holding onto the root with one hand and Lilly with the other. Lilly dangled from her grip trying to find purchase with her other hand.

The same orange glow that Lucy saw appeared again, this time on top of the cliff, where they just were. However, up close now, Lucy could see that this orange glow was fire, but it looked like it was shot out, like a flame-thrower. "Hold on, Lilly!" Lucy yelled, tightening her grip.

Someone suddenly appeared over the ledge, a mask over their face, dressed in layers of clothes, making it hard for the girls to tell if it was male or female. There was a large tank on their back, and their arm reached down, but was just short of reaching Lucy's hand.

Lucy glanced back and forth between the reaching hand and her sister. She could reach the hand if she let go of Lilly. But she couldn't do that. She _couldn't_.

She **wouldn't**.

She said a silently apology in her head, then let go of the root. Both girls fell from the fall, screaming as they went. Lucy landed with an audible crack on top of a large rock, her screams stopping as her back snapped and she was knocked unconscious. The two twins rolled down the steep drop, the scream now gone as both of them were now unconscious.

They both landed near each other, at the bottom, with two soft thuds.

Lilly's glasses fell off.

* * *

"Before we begin, there are a few things I need to make sure you understand."

A man, probably late-20's, with black hair and stubble, walked away from a large open window over to an oak desk, a name tag on the edge that stated _Derek T. Hale_. There was a small cup on a plate was in his hand. "You see, no one can change what happened last year." He moved to sit down, setting the cup on the desk at the same time, "The past is beyond our control. You have to accept this in order to move forward."

He gave a cheeky smile, his head tilted one way, before he continued, "But there is freedom in this revelation. Everything you do, every decision you make from now on, will open doors to the future." He said, voice getting more serious than before. "I want you to remember this, as you play your _game_. Every single choice will affect your fate and the fate of those around you." He explained.

He leaned forward, intertwining his hands on the desk, "So. You have committed to commence with this _game_. He have a small smile and stared, "This is significant." Dr. Hale said, pushing himself back of the desk and leaning in the chair, "And I want to help you see it through." He said.

He picked up a small folder and opened it up, crossing one leg over the other, "Sometimes.." He began, "Sometimes these things can be a little scary...even terrifying...but I am here to make sure that no matter how upsetting things may get," He paused, giving a small smirk and squinting his eyes a bit, "You will always find a way to get through it." Dr. Hale finished, nodding his head.

"Alright. We will start with a simple exercise." He said. He grabbed a postcard from the side of his desk and set it down in front of the other person. "Could you please pick up the card? And I want you to look at the picture on the other side, and tell me what you feel about it." He explained, "It is essential that you answer honestly in order to get the most out of this experience." He finished, waving his hand as to tell the person to _'go ahead'_.

A gloved hand reached out a grabbed the card, sliding it closer before picking it up and turning it over. It was a barn, basically. The bright red building was more in the back of the picture, covered by high raised corn stocks and a scare-crow to the right. The person put the picture down.

Dr. Hale grabbed a pen and uncapped it, "So...how did that picture make you feel? Remember: be honest.

 _"Uneasy..."_

"Okay," Dr. Hale said, writing it down, "Honesty is good." He said, nodding. "But," He continued, "What do you think it is, that makes you feel... uneasy?" He asked.

 _"The scarecrow."_

"I see...I see." Dr. Hale, writing on his note-pad. "Let's say, the scarecrow were not there...Would you feel comfortable staying there on your own for a period of time? Say a week, for example?" He asked.

 _"Sure."_

Dr. Hale nodded to himself. He shifted in the chair, "And what if I told you, that this barn, was haunted?" He asked slowly, his voice deeper.

 _"I'd be scared."_

Dr. Hale gazed at the person across from him. "Ahh," He said, putting the pen down on the desk. "Alright, alright. I sense that you suffer from a significant fear of... of the supernatural." He said, "What lies beyond the veil of death is, after all, the ultimate unknown..."

"Don't you agree?" Dr. Hale said, leaning forward across the desk once more, "And what could inspire fear more than the terror of uncertainty?" He squinted his eyes, "Please remember." He finished, his voice deep and low.

The seriousness on his face suddenly vanished, replaced by a cheeky smile, "This is only a game." He said. He suddenly glanced at his wrists, as if pretending there was a watch there, "Well," He announced, "We seem to be out of time for this session." He continued, "But we'll talk again very soon. Okay?" Dr. Hale said.

He gave one last smile, then stood up and grabbed the plate with the cup on it. He walked back over to the large window, the spoon in the cup clicking every so often with his stirs. He began to hum a soft tune.


	2. Chapter 1 - Memento Mori

Ten Hours Until Dawn

 ** _One Year Later_**

* * *

A lone mountain range road was deserted. Trees covered both sides of the small road. The sky was just beginning to darken, the sun disappearing behind Blackwood Mountain. Snow feel from the sky in small flakes.

A bus drove passed. There was only one passenger on it. A beautiful girl, Lydia Martin, with bright strawberry blonde hair tied into a braid and chestnut brown eyes. She had her headphones in and was listening to the news podcast. The male radio host was talking about what happened last year around this time...

 _Today is the one-year anniversary of the dreadful tragedy that took place on Mount McCall._

Every so often, because Lydia was so buried in the trees, her signal cut out every so often.

 _Sheriff John Stilinski, who was in charge of the investigation…_

 _Thanks for having me Daniel._

 _~!_

 _Listeners an update on Lilly and Lucy McCall, the twins who are still missing._

 _One year ago tonight the McCall girls left the safety of their parents' lodge and headed out into a snow storm._

 _~!_

 _Foul play?..._

 _Not officially, no. There is one individual we're considering as a person of interest but his whereabouts are currently unknown. He has an interesting history with the McCall family… He had warned them against pursuing their construction project… and claimed the land was sacred to his forefathers._

 _You know, there is still the old Sanatorium on the mountain. Could he be hiding there?_

 _My officers did search the grounds, but_

 _~!_

 _The girls themselves couldn't have made it that far._

 _Something about that mountain seems to breed tragic events._

 _More than you now Daniel._

 _Thank you for joining us, Sheriff…to all the McCall's' tonight…their son Scott on this, the anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of Lilly and Lucy McCall._

* * *

Lydia sighed in her head. She couldn't believe she was doing this again. Coming back up here after what happened to the girls…She turned off the podcast and went to a video she had saved on her phone that Scott had sent out to everyone, inviting them back up to the Lodge where everything seemed to go wrong.

In the video, Scott was standing in the middle of the Lodge, in the living room. It was dark. The only light coming from outside through the windows.

" _Well hello friends and fans…alright let's do that again…"_ Scott introduced on the video. He moved closer to the camera, adjusting the zoom and getting a bit closer. " _Alright. Well hello, friends and fans!"_ He started again, " _It's beyond awesome to have you guys all back together this year."_ He said. He licked his lips before continuing, " _Um, first off, I gotta say I am super excited to welcome all my pals back to the annual Blackwood winter getaway!"_ He said, throwing his arms in the air and making a hushed 'crowd yell'. He gave a small laugh, " _So um… Let me just let you know, let's take a moment to address the 'elephant in the room' for a second…"_

Lydia closed her eyes for a brief moment. Scott was being brave, going back up there after his sisters…

" _I know, you're all probably worried about me…and I know it's gonna be tough on all of us going back after what happened last year…"_ He said, pausing to take breath, " _But – I just want you all to know… it means…it means so much to me that we're doing this. And I…"_ He bowed his head, before lifting it back up, " _I know it would mean so much to Lilly and Lucy that we're all still together, thinking of them. I really want to spend some quality time with each and every one of you and um… and share some moments that we'll never forget, for…for the sake of my sisters, you know? Okay…so! Let's party like we're back in high school, and make this one a trip we will never forget, alright! Yes!"_ He finished, throwing his hands in the air.

Lydia pursed her lips, setting her phone down. She lifted her head and stared out the window at the snowy landscape around her.

She was almost there.

* * *

The bus eased on the brakes in front of the path that led up to the cable cars. Lydia was the only passenger on the bus, so once she was out, the bus took off right after. Her cashmere boots crushed the snow under her feet. While it may seem like she wasn't wearing much, she was actually pretty warm. She had on a simple purple long-sleeve sweater, a black leather jacket over that, a red scarf was tied around the neck, and she was wearing a red plaid skirt with thick black leggings that hugged her legs. Her boots were even fur-lined. There was also her favorite beanie on her head. And she also had on her backpack.

Lydia was a kind girl, she was probably the most popular when they were in school and she was voted best-dressed for their senior year. She was very close with Scott's younger sister, Lilly.

As Lydia headed down the path, she heard some noises behind her, like branches or twigs being stepped on. She paused, turning her head to look behind her, "Hello? Is someone there?" She hummed to herself. She couldn't see anyone…

 ** _Lydia_**

 ** _Path to cable car station_**

 ** _9:02 P.M_**

The path was dark, especially at night. There were no lights to, well, light the way, but Lydia had almost memorized where to step after walking down this path so many times. Nothing had changed on it in those years. She neared the entrance gate, a large black pad-lock gate. There was a dusting of snow over top of it, and at the top it read " **Blackwood Pines** ". As she neared the gate she saw there was a piece of paper tapped to it.

 **"The gate's busted, Climb over!" – Stiles**

"What?" Lydia said slightly upset. She groaned aloud, "Ugh, dammit." She walked over to the left side of the gate, where the rock wall was. She couldn't even count how many times Stiles and Scott climb this wall just for fun in the past. She decided to go the 'safe' way, instead of the way the boys usually went. It was just like a regular rock-wall course.

When she got to the top, she pulled herself up to her feet on top of the rock wall. Then jumped down and landed on her feet. She brushed her hands on her skirt, shaking some snow off of them. She continued down the path.

Finally, she made it to the cable car station, where she was meeting Stiles. The mountain range towered above her, and every time she came up here, she couldn't help but stop and stare at the sight around her. The mountain range was gorgeous during the day, but night brought something here that she couldn't explain. Every time, though, it always took her breath away.

She stared at the map of the range and scoffed. Someone had written over it in bright red spray paint.

 **"THE PAST IS BEYOND OUR CONTROL."**

 _"Wow. Graffiti, all the way up here?"_ She thought to herself. She walked over to the door of the station, "Stiles?..." She said aloud, calling for the boy who was supposed to be here, "Are you here?" She said, she went over to where a couple benches were, and saw Stiles' backpack sitting on one under the light. His phone was sticking out of one of the pockets. "Your bag's here, where are you?" She whispered. She then smiled a bit, and talked a little louder, "You're not in the bag are you?!" She joked.

His phone suddenly lit up, he got a text message. "Hello, what do we have here…" She said. Lydia was always that person who took a quick peek at something, no matter who or what it was. She pulled Stiles' phone out and smirked. "Ah ha. Look who it is." She said. The message was from Malia.

All of a sudden, something touched her shoulder and spun her around, she gasped, but calmed herself when she saw it was only Stiles. "Hey nosey." He said, announcing his presence. Lydia clutched his phone to her chest, calming her breathing down. "Stiles." She gasped out. Stiles was a fun guy, always wanting to make everyone laugh and have a good time. He was a good detective, and always a good friend. He had a crush on Malia. Stiles had spike up short dark brown hair, with eyes equally as dark, yet light at the same time. He had a decoration of moles across his left cheek, a couple above his left eyebrow, and a few here and there on his right cheek, plus Lydia knew there were some across the back of his neck, which trailed down under his shirt collar. He appeared to be fully decked out, wearing a simple white t-shirt, a jean jacket over that, a zip-up jacket over that, and then a large blue winter coat with fur lined in the hood over that. He had black snow pants on, probably over regular jeans, and black combat boots on.

"You scared me." Lydia said. Stiles smirked, then stared at her, "I'm…I'm sorry, are you my secretary?" He asked her, gesturing to his phone which was still in her hands. She held it up, "It…it was buzzing-."

She started. He laughed, and held his hand out, "Cool. Well, thanks for letting me know. I can take it from here. He turned around and checked the message. Turning back, he glanced at her and went over and grabbed his backpack. "Oh! So, I found something kind of amazing." He begun.

"What?"

"I'm not gonna tell you, you gotta see for yourself. Come on. It's this way."

"Where?"

"Right around here," He said, going around the station, "Gonna blow your mind." He said, making a gesture of his head exploding with his hands. Lydia rolled her eyes, but nevertheless followed him around to the back of the station. Something caught her eye, a lone and old poster which was on the wall. She called Stiles back over to her, "Hey, check this out." The sign read it big white letters:

 **WANTED**

 **Milgram, Victor**

 **Sex: Male**

 **Height: 6'2" (1.88m)**

 **Last Known Address: Blackwood Pines**

 **Last Seen: 03/16/1998**

 **Wanted in connection with a first-degree arson offence, as well as various death threats.**

 **Anyone with information regarding this dangerous criminal should contact the BPMC as soon as possible.**

 **Blackwood Provincial Mounted Constabulary**

 **Police Montée Proviciale de Blackwood**

 **July 1988**

"Nice. You think we'll get a visit from America's most wanted?" Stiles joked, turning around and continuing to the back of the station. "Looks like someone thought so…" Lydia said, following him. Stiles stopped in front of a wooden shack looking counter, "Ta dah." He said, sticking his hands out and shaking them, "Pretty rad, right?" He smiled at her. Lydia rolled her eyes, "Yeah! Wow, Stiles." She said, sarcasm evident in her voice. Stiles whined, "Come on! Look at these beauties." Stiles said, pointing out beyond the counter. Lydia sighed, "Uh, ' _beauties_ ' is not the word that comes to mind. Why is this even here?" She asked, hands on her hips.

"What do you mean?"

"What the hell is a shooting range doing at the base of a ski lodge?"

"Uh, dude. Have you ever met Scott's dad?" Stiles asked, like it was a normal thing. Stiles picked up the hunting rifle that was holstered there. Lydia looked at Stiles questionably, silently wondering why that was a question, "Uh, yeah?" She said. "He thinks he's like, Grizzly Adams or something. Wanna try?" He explained, then asked.

"Uh, no. You go 'head, Grizzly." Lydia remarked, waving her hand at him.

 ** _Stiles_**

 ** _Cable Car Station_**

 ** _9:11 P.M_**

"Alright," Stiles said, getting ready with the gun, "Here goes." He said. He began shooting the things laid out in front of them. A couple of sand bags, and some plastic cans here and there. He hit every target. Not a lot of people knew about Stiles' ability to shoot a gun. After all his dad was the Sheriff of the town. When he lowered the gun, Lydia stepped forward, "Wow." She said, "Nice shooting." She complemented. Stiles then started to do a ridiculous dance, moving his legs in a shuffle and pumping his arms in and out with the gun, "Alright, I'm bad." He said, "I'm a bad-ass." He smirked. Lydia laughed at him, "I'm gonna go ahead and guess it was a mild case of beginner's luck."

Stiles shook his finger in the air at her, "Nah, I don't think so girl. I'm a pro." He said, confidently. He picked another target, a glass bottle, a bit further back than the rest of everything else. Lydia scoffed, riling him up, "Well, anybody and their brother could shoot a bottle that big, that close." Stiles gave her a look, then lined the gun up again, shooting one more of the sandbags. Lydia, finally, praised him. "Nice shot." She grinned. Stiles, giving her a grin himself, threw his hand in the air like he was telling someone off, "Your ass just got saacked!" He joked.

Lydia shoot her head. She heard the screech of the cable car that had finally graced them with its presence. "Hey, sharp-shooter, our ride is coming." She told Stiles, who was getting ready to line up another shot. He dropped the gun with a short whine, "Oh come on. I was starting to have fun." He said. Lydia started to walk away, "Come on, Stiles. The cable car!" She yelled back at him. "Alright, alright." He said, setting the gun back in its holster and following the strawberry blonde back to the front of the station.

It was silent as they made their journey around the small building, save for the small noises of the forest and the snow crunching beneath their boots. Stiles then spoke up, "Man it is…it's definitely weird coming back up here after a whole year." He said. Lydia agreed, nodding her head, "Yeah. I swear, the moment I got here, it all just came flooding back." She told him. When they reached the front entrance, Lydia attempted to open the door, but it wouldn't budge, "Hey that's weird. Door's locked…" She said, turning around to face Stiles. He rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah. Scott wanted us to keep it locked, keep people out." He explained. Lydia stared at him, "He said that? What people?" She asked him. Stiles shrugged, but held the key to the door in his hand, "I…I don't know. He said they found people sleeping in the station one time." He explained more. Lydia clicked her tongue, "Creepy." She commented.

Stiles moved forward and unlocked the door, pushing it open and gesturing for Lydia to go first, "After you." He said. Lydia gave him an exaggerated smile, "Always a gentleman." She said. Stiles gave her a cheeky smile before shutting the door behind them and locking it again. Lydia walked toward the railing and stared out at the mountain range, seeing the cable car in the distance. She sighed, "Ugh, I thought the car was closer." Stiles shrugged, coming to stand by her side, "Guess we gotta wait." He said. Lydia leaned forward, "I'm starting to get the appeal of killing time at the shooting range. How long is this gonna take?" She asked.

Stiles turned around and started exploring, "Well, it's a big mountain." He said, and Lydia just responded with a soft, "Yeah…" Inside the small station, Stiles was walking around, looking at all the posters and everything that there was to see, while Lydia talked out loud, "It's so beautiful in the day, but at night it just feels so menacing, like a sleeping giant." While she spoke, Stiles was inspecting one of the old posters which read:

 **Blackwood Pines**

 **Hotel and Sanatorium**

 **For a healthy body and mind**

"What a crazy place to set up house," Stiles said to himself, "No matter how rich you are…" Lydia must've heard him, because she responded with a sarcastic response, "They're not so rich…They only bought a mountain!" She said. Stiles playfully rolled his eyes and continued to look around. He found a small TV which appeared to be like a security tape, flickering in and out of the picture.

He saw a quick look at what appeared to be a large bathtub, then the camera changed to right outside the station. Stiles saw a dark silhouette near the bottom of the screen, "huh?" He said to himself, but then whatever it was disappeared before the whole thing started to cut out. Stiles left just as the cable car pulled up. Lydia started walking toward it, "Finally." She said with relief, "You coming?" She asked him. Stiles faked a yawn, "Well, I was just gonna stay here and catch some Zzzz's, buuuut…. Ok." He said. Lydia entered the car with Stiles right behind her. Stiles took off his backpack and sat down next to her, "Hmm, just like going to the prom." He remarked.

The cable car waited for a few more seconds before closing the doors and heading off back up the mountain, "Here we go!" Lydia said, and Stiles glanced at her, "Right! Adventure begins!"

"Ah, I hope this was the right thing to do." Lydia said, interrupting the short moment of silence. "What do you mean?" Stiles asked. "You know," Lydia began, "Getting everyone together on the anniversary…" She continued, "I mean, Scott seemed really pumped about us all doing something didn't he?" She asked Stiles. Stiles completely agreed with her, "Yeah, no, he definitely did! I haven't seen him so excited about something in… forever."

Lydia found herself nodding, "Good…good." She said. "It's hard to tell with him and I…I've kind of been worried…" She said. Stiles interrupted her, "No, no. It was…It was a good idea." He said. "I hope everybody else feels the same way." Lydia said, pursing her lips. Stiles put a hand on his knee, "We're all here, aren't we?" He rhetorically asked her. Lydia suddenly smiled, over the somber mood. Stiles cut in, "You know what? Let's just… let's just stop talking about what happened and enjoy the trip."

"You know what? You're right." Lydia agreed. After a quick moment of silence, Stiles spoke up again, "Do you know how Scott and I met?" He suddenly asked. Lydia glanced at him, "No…?" She said, drawn out.

"Okay, 4 years old, right?" Stiles begun his story, "Me and Scott didn't even know each other existed. Until one day, during recess at school, Scott was playing by himself in the sandbox. Our teacher, Mrs. Honey, nicest teacher I've probably ever had, she told me to go and see if I could play with him, right? Cause I was alone too." He explained. "So I walk over there, and he completely ignores me. I got so mad at him, that I dropped my pants, and I peed all over his sandcastle. Just like that." Stiles said, smirking, while Lydia looked at him in shock, "You peed on his sandcastle?" She asked him, "Did he get mad?" She asked. Stiles shook his head, "Nah, after I did it, I really thought he was gonna hit me or something, but he busted out laughing." He finished. "And that, my dear friend, is how we met."

"And became friends. To this day."

"A match made in heaven."

"If it weren't for the fact that we happened to both be alone that one day," He blew a raspberry, "I mean, who knows? You could be riding alone in the cable car alone. Right now. Or talking to someone else entirely." Stiles continued his rant.

"Boom: Butterfly effect." He finished.

* * *

At the top of the mountain, on a bench outside the top cable car station, sat a girl with blonde hair tied in two pony-tail braids, with brown eyes. She was wearing a lilac winter coat that was zipped up, and regular blue jeans with knee high fur boots. This was Erica. She is Theo's new girlfriend after he dumped Kira. Erica had epilepsy ever since she was little, but after a surgery she had in high school she rarely had them now. She was a confident girl, but she also hid herself behind her popularity.

 ** _Erica_**

 ** _Upper Cable Car Station_**

 ** _9:17 P.M._**

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. New people. Time to meet and greet." She said to herself, hearing the cable car make its way to the docking area. She walked over to the door. Something loud banged on the door, and she jumped back and yelped, "Ahh! What the hell?" She yelled. Stiles and Lydia were on the other side of the door,

"Eri! Hey!"

"Erica, over here!"

She walked over to them, "Uh, are you guys having a really weird stroke?" She asked. Stiles rolled his eyes, "We're stuck in this stupid thing." He remarked. Lydia stepped in, "Can you please let us out?" Not saying anything in response, Erica lifted her hand and pressed the green button on the left side of the door. It lit up and the door unlocked.

Once Lydia and Stiles were out, Stiles started being dramatic. Like usually. "Oh. My. God. I thought we were goners. Another ten minutes in there and I would have chew off my own leg." Lydia groaned, "Aw, gross, Stiles." She said. Stiles then got defensive, "Hey I might not be full of meat, but down here, "He said, pointing to his calves, "That's all muscle down there." He said.

Lydia nodded, "Yeah…Riiiight. Uh, huh." She said. All of a sudden, Stiles leaned forward and plucked the note in Erica's hand, " _Bwip_!" He said, making some noise. "Hey!" Erica said, and Lydia joined in, "Stiles!" Stiles grinned, he gestured to Lydia, "Hey, I'm just doing like Lydia taught me… Other people's private thoughts are my own person playground." He remarked. Lydia crossed her arms, "Do not be a jerk, I didn't even read it." She told him.

"My goodness." Stiles said, looking at the envelope in his hand and holding his free one up in the air. "Seems that someone has a lil' crush on our good friend and dear class president Theo Raeken." He began. Lydia tried to step in, "Stiles-." But he continued anyway, "Aand… what kind of sizzling secrets might our Erica be capable of imagining, I wonder…?" He finished, making a move to open the envelope, but paused when Erica started to speak.

"Theo and Kira split. We're together." She explained. Stiles stared at her, "Whoa. Drama." He said. "Not really," Erica explained, rolling her eyes, "Pretty clear cut, actually. Kira's out, I'm in." She finished. Lydia clicked her tongue, "Huh." She said, throwing a glance at Stiles. Erica walked closer to Stiles who held out the envelope. The blonde girl snatched her letter out of his hands. Stiles rubbed the back of his neck, "Alright alright, let's just get up to the ledge already. Getting tired of all this nature and junk." He said, starting to walk away. Erica faltered, "Uh, you guys go ahead. I'm just gonna wait here for a bit…see who else is coming…" Stiles turned his head, "You mean Theo?" He said, and Erica turned fast, "What?" She coughed, "I mean, you know." She said, "Whoever." She finished lamely.

"Uh huh, Lydia?" Stiles, said, trying to get the strawberry blonde's attention. She was over by the fencing, looking out over the dark mountain and looking at the haunting view. She sighed in awe, "Did you see this view?" She started, "I mean, holy cow. Sometimes I forget to just stop and take it all in."

* * *

"Seriously, couldn't they have built the lodge like right where the cable car ends?" Kira whined. Kira was Theo's ex. She had black hair and black eyes. She is the newest member of their little friendship group, having moved to Beacon Hills about 2 years ago now. He father is their History Teacher at school. She also tended to have information stuck up in her head and spewed it out at times. She was resourceful and very intelligent. She had on a grey turtle-neck long sleeve shirt with a fur-lined leather jacket over it, black jeans, and brown mid-calf fur boots on.

"I don't think it would have been, like, as pretty, you know?" Said Boyd, Kira's new boyfriend, who was slightly behind her following. He had shaved hair and brown eyes and dark skin. He had on his Letterman Jacket from school, a long sleeve shirt on under that, and grey sweatpants over regular blue jeans with snow boots on his feet. He was active, like Stiles and Scott, but he actually played football for BHHS, not lacrosse like Stiles and Scott. "And where's a bellboy when you need one!" She complained. Boyd sighed in his head, picking up their bags.

 ** _Boyd_**

 ** _McCall Lodge Grounds_**

 ** _9:24 P.M_**

The two walked down the path, nearing an old bridge. "Brr… Getting' chills." Kira commented, to which Boyd answered, "We're almost there-" He begun, but Kira shook her head, "No, I mean…getting' kinda creeped out." She finished. "Oh. Yeah." Boyd said. Once they got to the bridge, Kira spoke up again, "It's gonna be weird seeing everyone back up here again." She said and Boyd agreed, "Definitely not gonna feel like a regular party. I mean, what do you think-."

He was cut off abruptly, when something suddenly jumped out in front of the two. Both of them screamed, quite loudly, Boyd throwing his hands up ready to protect them if need be. Kira backed away, yelling, and Boyd dropped his hands when they saw who it was.

Theo Raeken.

"Whoa! Dude!" Boyd yelled, just as Kira yelled, "Jesus!" as Theo just laughed like there was no tomorrow. Theo was Kira's ex. He played on the lacrosse team with Stiles and Scott. He was dating Erica now. He was a joker, but not as much as Stiles. He was a good sport, but could also be a jerk, even when he didn't realize it.

"You guys." Theo said, still laughing. He bent over, hands on his knees. He was wearing one of his striped shirts, with a dark blue sleeveless puffer jacket over it, blue jeans, and regular sneakers. One would wonder how he wasn't cold.

"Theodore!" Kira yelled, obviously upset. Theo, ignoring his full name, carried on, "You really, really should have seen your faces right there." He said, making unnecessary gestures with his hands. Boyd rolled his eyes, "Dude, I almost clocked you just now." He said. Theo just grinned, "Nice one." He laughed. Kira crossed her arms, "Theo, you're a jerk." She said. Theo faltered, "Come on – guys. We're all friends here right? No need for violence, just a little harmless fun!" He started, "We're up in the woods! It's spooky! Come on, let's get into the spirit of things!" He finished. Kira glared at him, " _The spirit of things?_ Seriously? What's wrong with you?" Kira sneered.

Theo looked slightly offended, "Just trying to lighten the mood, Ki." He said, "Don't be like that." He said, brushing it off. "Like what?" Kira said, staring at him. Theo sighed, "The way you're being. You always get like this." Theo started. Boyd then decided to come back into the conversation, before this one went any further, "Theo… I'm just gonna lay it out, otherwise this whole weekend's gonna suck ass for everyone." He begun, "Um. This is super awkward and we all know it. Let's just acknowledge it now and move on. Okay?" He finished. "Boyd-." Kira started, but Theo interrupted her, "I hear you, man. I get it. I don't wanna make this weird." He agreed. Boyd nodded, "Cool. So we're good?" He asked. Theo brushed his arms, "All good."

Kira had a hand on her hip, "You guys gonna make out now?" She asked, glaring at both of them. Theo suddenly put on an act of being a prissy girl, "Oh my god totally, we're sooooooo gonna make out!" He mocked. "Uh, no seriously, I'm gonna go check on the cable car back down the trail." He said, rowing his arms and walking between the two, headed back the way they came.

"See ya, man."

"See ya."

"Alright."

"See ya!" Theo finished, throwing his hands in the air and emphasizing the _'ya'_. Once Theo was out of sight, Boyd bent down to pick up the bags once more, when Kira spoke up, "Ah, crap." She said. Boyd looked at her, "What?" He asked. "Hey, could you take these the rest of the way?" She asked him. "What, the bags?" He asked, and she nodded, "Yeah…just…all the bags." She slowly confirmed. "Uh, why?" He asked, looking at her. She pointing back behind them, "I need to go find Lydia." She said. Boyd stood there, "Okay…?" He said, not getting it. Kira sighed, "I'm sorry…I just, I really need to go find her. I totally forgot I needed to talk to her before we get all the way up there." She said.

Boyd glanced at her, "This really can't wait, I mean, we're almost there." He said with a small laugh, but she persisted, "It's important. Boyd. Please." She finished. But Boyd persisted too, "Ki, I really don't think you should head back down the trail by yourself…"

"Seriously?"

"It's cold out, and it's getting dark…"

"You're gonna protect me from it being _dark out_?"

"I'll just leave our stuff here and come with you," Boyd said, setting the bags back down, "No one is gonna steal it."

"Boyd are you kidding me? You can't leave me alone for _Five Minutes_? You really think that little of me?" She ranted. Boyd put his hands up, "No, that's not what I meant-" He tried. "Why can't you just listen to me? Why do you have to question everything I say?" Kira said, crossing her arms. "I'm sorry! Kira, I'm just trying to be helpful." Boyd said, quick. Kira rolled her eyes, "If you wanna be helpful, then you can help get everything up to the lodge as quickly as you can, okay?"

Boyd sighed, "Um…okay. Fine, whatever you want." He said, defeated. Kira smiled, "Thank you. I'll see you up there after I find Sam." She said, turning around. Boyd walked the other way, "See you in a bit."

* * *

"Oh." Malia said, taking her eyes away from the telescope. Malia was the one who was crushing on Stiles. She had short brown hair and brown eyes. She had on a red beanie, a plain t-shirt with a fur-lined jean jacket over it, blue jeans, and brown uggs. There was also a ring on her finger. Malia would be described as forthright. She basically had no filter and spoke her mind when the time was right. She could be fearful at times, but was brave when needed. She was also very inquisitive.

 ** _Malia_**

 ** _McCall Lodge Grounds_**

 ** _9:32 P.M_**

"Whoa… Hello…" Malia whispered to herself, looking back through the telescope and seeing Kira with Theo. "Somebody's getting a little 'friendly'." She said, seeing how Theo stepped closer to Kira, putting his hands on her face. "And not in the 'friend-zone' kind of way." She remarked, when Kira put her hands on Theo's waist. "They might need to check the expiration date on their big breakup…"

She zoomed out on them, and all of a sudden, "AHH!" Someone yelled, popping up in front of the telescope. "God!" Malia yelled, backing away and putting her hand on her chest. It was Boyd, of all people. "Whoa! Sorry there… Sorry about that Mal, I didn't mean to scare you-" He started, trying to think of an excuse. "Holy crap, Boyd." Malia said, slightly angry. "Well, I did mean to scare you, 'sort of', scare you but not like for real scare you…" He said, trying to explain. "Oh my gosh… oh my gosh…" Malia said, moving closer and punching him on the shoulder. He gave a small laugh, "Hey, wow, man. I'm really sorry Mal, damn-"

She brushed him off, "It's okay…it's fine…it's fine." She said. He gestured to the telescope she was looking through, "What are you looking at? See anything juicy with that thing?" He asked. She faltered, trying to think of something to say. Boyd continued, "Let me check it out." Malia sighed in her head, but stepped back anyway, "Uh…sure, go ahead. Knock yourself out. I guess…" Boyd went up to, "Alright." He said, and Malia guessed that he saw Kira and Theo, because he said, "Aw, son of a bitch. Seriously, Kira? What the hell, man?" He said, angry. Malia stepped up, "Hey, listen – it's probably nothing…" She tried, and Boyd looked at her, "Nothing? You think?" He asked incredulously, "Well…yeah…" Malia tried once more, but Boyd wasn't having it, "Is it ever just nothing with Ki? Ever?" He glanced at her. She shook her head, "I don't kno-"

"Goddammit."

"Boyd…" Malia said, calling out for him when he started to walk away from her. She followed after him anyway.

* * *

 ** _Erica_**

 ** _Upper Cable Car Station_**

 ** _9:41 P.M_**

Erica sat patiently on the same bench where she was before Stiles and Lydia arrived. After the two had left she was once again by herself, waiting. She grabbed her phone and starting looking at it, when a snowball suddenly collided with the wall behind her, very close to her head, causing her to gasp, "Oh you did not just do that." She said, looking for the culprit. "Oh yeah? And what if I did?" Theo said, walking closer to her and making another snowball. Erica grinned, running over to one of the picnic benches, which got Theo's attention, "Ooh, sneaky, sneaky." He said, throwing the snowball at her, which she expertly dodged.

"Crap," Theo said, bending down and making another one. Erica laughed, "Gotta try harder than that." She sneered. She made a snowball and in a quick movement, hit Theo on his shoulder, "Whoa, ah, hey!" He exclaimed, "Bull's-eye!" Erica yelled. She dodged anther one of Theo's. After a quick round of snowball fighting, Erica yelled, "Okay, no more!" She said with a laugh behind her tone. Theo wasn't having it, "Oh yeah, oh 'more'! You're going down!" He yelled.

He suddenly grabbed her from behind, and she twisted around, facing him, but she also lost her footing, causing them both to fall over into the snow. "Got'cha! It's done!" Theo yelled. "So, did I go down?" Erica questioned. Theo shook his head, "Ah, I don't think so." Erica smirked, "Mhmm… I think you'd know so if I did." Theo nodded, hating to agree with her, "Alright. Alright." He said. Erica's smirk got bigger, "My, my. So are we calling my favor, then?" She questioned.

"You're a worthy opponent, Mrs. Erica the Snowball Queen." Theo said, to which Erica responded, "Okay, that sounds vaguely dirty." She remarked. Theo winked at her, "My lady." Was all he said. Erica leaned up and kissed him, and he kissed her back. When they parted, Erica grinned, "Whoa, save some for later, buddy," She said. "Endless reserves." Theo said, "We should get up to the lodge."

"Yeah, but it's so nice out here though. Pretty breathtaking…"

"I mean, I could stay out her for pretty much… ever… Provided I was, making out with you the whole time." Theo said, the last part under his breath as he stood and helped Erica to her feet. Erica grinned, "Just making out?"

Theo didn't look at her, just put his hands in the air and said, "Quote, unquote."

"Well, I think we might freeze to death somewhere between those quotes." Erica remarked, following Theo down the path.

* * *

Dr. Hale stood by the window, hands behind his back as he stared at something. He turned his head, staring, "Hello again." He said, simply, "And how are we feeling?" He asked, making his way over to the desk. He turned on his light and placed both hands on his desk, leaning forward slightly, "It seems we hardly scratched the surface in our last session." He began, sitting down on his chair, "Let's go a little bit deeper this time…" He said.

He pulled a small book out of one of his drawers, "This time… we're going to try and understand the root of your anxiety." He explained. He set the book down in front of the mysterious person, "Now, pick up that book. Turn the pages. You will see a set of pictures and symbols. I want you to identify which image in each set makes you the most anxious." He explained, getting out his pen and clipboard.

The first picture was a man on the left and woman on the right.

 _"Women worry me."_

The next page showed a plane on the left and a crowd of people on the right.

 _"Crowds scare me."_

The next page showed a pair of shoes standing on the edge of a tall building, looking down on the left and a lone hand sticking above water on the right.

 _"I fear drowning."_

Next was a snake on the left and a rat on the right.

 _"Snakes scare me."_

On the next page was a gun on the left and a knife on the right.

 _"Guns are scary."_

The next one had a snake again on the left and a cockroach on the right.

 _"I fear cockroaches."_

Turning the page revealed a clown on the left and a scarecrow on the right.

 _"Clowns scare me"_

The next showed a picture of blood in a puddle and a pile of organs in the blood and on the right showed a crow.

 _"Gore disgusts me."_

Dr. Hale suddenly banged his desk hard, causing the person to look up. "Oh – did I startle you? So sorry… you're doing very well. Don't be nervous." He said. He reached into his desk again and pulled out a metronome, "Try to… speed up a bit. The more you rely on your instincts, the more honest your answers will be, and the more enlightening you will find this experience." He said, flipping the switch to turn it on. The steady beat filled the silence of the room.

Page turn. Cockroaches on left, spiders on right.

 _"I fear cockroaches."_

Page turn. Gore or needles.

 _"Gore disgusts me."_

Page turn. Clowns or Zombies.

 _"Clowns scare me."_

Page turn. Gore or wolves.

 _"Gore disgusts me."_

Page turn. Gore or storms.

 _"Gore disgusts me."_

Dr. Hale stopped the metronome, "This is very interesting." He said, "Thank you, for answering so… diligently." He said, clicking his tongue. He began to name some things, "Cockroaches, clowns, and offal." He said, "That's some combination! Sounds like a good Friday night!" He said, giving off a wheezy laugh. "Ah…" He said, checking his watch, "Well, I'm afraid once again we're out of time… But I promise, we will talk again very soon." He finished.

He stood, placing his clipboard on his desk. He walked back over to the window and crossed his hands behind his back once more


End file.
